Archaeopteryx, an extinct bird known from a small number of fossilized remains found in southern Germany, is claimed by evolutionary biologists to be the first species of bird to appear on Earth,[1] as well as a so-called "transitional form" between reptiles and birds.

There are two criticisms of Archaeopteryx. The first is that the fossils are an elaborate hoax as claimed by the British astronomer and physicist, Sir Fred Hoyle; the second is that Archaeopterix is a true bird, and not a transitional form suggesting evolution.

Contents

Description

Archaeopterix was roughly crow-sized, with an over-all body length of 18 inches. Discounting the feather impressions in some of the fossil specimens, Archaeopterix had a build generally-similar to that of a small theropod dinosaur, with the species Compsognathus cited. Both wings ended in three-fingered claws. The tail was long, feathered on either side. Evidence that the legs were feathered as well was shown in the Berlin specimen as recently as 1880, prior to that fossil's preservation.

The bill, like modern birds, was capable of independent movement in both the upper and lower jaws; unlike modern birds, both jaws were studded with small teeth.

The hip bones are fully-formed and bird-like, i.e. the pubic bone points to the rear, unlike theropod dinosaurs (which had a forward-pointing pubic bone) from which evolution claims an ancestry. Despite this contradiction, some authorities prefer to place Archaeopterix within the order Avetheropoda, which includes such theropods as Tyrannosaurus rex and Spinosaurus[2]

All known fossils - approximately thirteen - were found in the Solenhofen limestone formation of southern Bavaria, Germany.

Criticism

Fraud dispute

Charges of fraud

In 1983, a half-dozen leading British scientists led by noted British Radio-astronomer Sir Fred Hoyle carefully studied the plates and counter-plates from the two best Archaeopteryx specimens, and found evidence of forgery.[3] They discovered that the front and back slabs of each specimen do not match.[4]
They found that an alteration had been made to the left wing as depicted in an 1863 drawing.[4]
They concluded that the feather markings had been imprinted by hand.[4]
They also found that etching process had used cement blobs.[4]
When the scientists requested the ability to use an electronic microscope and carbon-14 dating, the museum refused and withdrew the specimens from the scientists.[4]
The same British Museum had been responsible for the Piltdown Man fraud.

Assertions of authenticity

Scientists who have since inspected the London Archaeopteryx and other specimens have conlcuded these fossils are not forgeries.[5] In particular, the found the feathers on the Maxburg fossil continue underneath the bones - precluding the possibility of them being added to a reptile fossil, tiny fractures that could not have been seen at the time of Archaeopteryx's discovery matched in the plate and counter-plate and the 'blobs' cited by Hoyle are also have matching impressions on the counter plate (suggesting they weren't added). The evidence that Archaeopteryx is not a fraud is so strong that creationist site Answers in Genesis suggests creationists don't use this argument [6]

Not a transitional

The second criticism of the Archaeopteryx, that it is not a transitional form, has been strengthened by the work of anatomist Dr. David Menton[7] suggesting that Archaeopteryx is a true bird with flight feathers, not a transitional form at all. In 1994, an article explained that the Archaeopteryx was essentially a flying bird, with a large cerebellum and visual cortex. The fact that it had teeth is irrelevant to its alleged transitional status—a number of extinct birds had teeth, while many reptiles do not (the South American hoatzin, Opisthocomus hoazin, also shares with Archaeopteryx clawed digits in its wings, albeit as juveniles).

Evidence for evolution?

In 1993, an article was published in Science magazine arguing that the Archaeopteryx had fully-formed flying feathers (including asymmetric vanes and ventral, reinforcing furrows as in modern flying birds), the classical elliptical wings of modem woodland birds, and a large wishbone for attachment of muscles responsible for the downstroke of the wings[8]

While most evolutionary scientists agree that the flight feathers of Archaeopteryx were essentially modern, several papers since have argued against Feduccia's claims about the anatomy of Archaeopteryx[9] Specimens such as the Thermoplis Specimen [10] are thought to clearly show that the arms, wishbone, tail, feet, hips, and palate of Archaeopteryx were more like meat-eating theropod dinosaurs than modern birds.

Specimens

There are currently only thirteen known specimens of Archaeopteryx.[11]
All were allegedly found in the limestone of the Solnhofen area in Germany and have not been substantiated by any discovery anywhere else in the world.[12]